gold…

when the wise men come to worship JESUS they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, & myrrh. these gifts have given rise to a lot of speculation about the symbolism of these gifts.

“gold” represents wealth, obviously. solomon sat on an ivory throne, inlaid with gold. solomon’s temple was plated with gold. we read of “golden streets” in heaven.

obviously gold represents wealth of the new KING. granted, HE was born in poverty, and died in poverty, but because HE is GOD’s SON, all the wealth of the world is HIS.

i don't have to explain that gift, except to say that a natural response of devotion to GOD is to give of our wealth to HIM. HE doesn't need the wealth, but we need to give it. the bible knows no separation of physical and spiritual; it's all part of the fabric of life. when we have a spiritual relationship with GOD, it's going to show in material ways.

there was a presbyterian missionary from the nation of ghana who told about an interesting practice in the worship of that african nation. ghana was evangelized by scottish presbyterians over a century ago, and most of their worship is still very traditional and presbyterian. but they do allow the african experience into their worship at the offering.

during the collection of gifts to GOD, the people dance. the music gets lively, and the people get up and move. it becomes a real celebration that can last a while, because they dance all the way down the aisle to the altar and then back to their seats. the missionary also noted that the offering is the only time the africans smile. the rest of the time they have learned to be as serious as scottish presbyterians. but during the offering, they boogie!

that's how to worship. you put your money in the plate. you tap your foot on the floor. you lift your hands in praise and your voice in song. you laugh out loud at how good GOD is! you reach out a helping hand, and you offer a compassionate hug. that's worship.

you can dance until your legs fall off, but if you don't have JESUS in your heart, you might as well be line-dancing at the local honky-tonk.

just a thought from the front porch…